‘154 & Paradise’ Takes a Twisty and Compelling Road 

Highway 154 is known locally as a potentially perilous drive, and intersections that turn into speeding highway traffic, like the one at Paradise Road, are notoriously difficult to navigate. In Gerald DiPego’s play 154 & Paradise, produced by director Peter Frisch and actors from The Producing Unit, James Henny is killed in a car accident. His friends and family are involved in the investigation surrounding his death, led by a mysterious figure seeking the truth. Frisch describes this drama as Twilight Zone–adjacent, with twists and revelations up to the final moments. The play explores the interconnectedness of humanity and social responsibility, and how seemingly benign actions can inadvertently lead to major consequences.

The Producing Unit mounted this play previously, in 2015, with a different cast. “Seven of the nine actors in the show are new,” says Frisch. “It’s an unusually intelligent, caring cast who brings many new perspectives to the work … we revisited the implications of the text during rehearsal — we discovered new emotional motives and behaviors in several characters, new connections between the characters, and certain structural developments that we’ve further clarified.” These characters include James Henny (the victim, played by Bill Egan); Henny’s estranged wife, Ruth (Susan Kelejian); the lone witness to the crash (Kathy Marden); and the enigmatic “examiner” (Tom Hinshaw) directing the inquiry.

Yet audiences should not expect a straightforward whodunit — 154’s porous fourth wall allows the “examiner” to integrate theatergoers into the mystery. “DiPego involves his audience almost from the beginning,” says Frisch. “Our identities as witnesses develop and deepen right up to the final moment of the play.”

See (or see again!) 154 & Paradise at Center Stage Theater (751 Paseo Nuevo Ctr.) September 22 through September 30. See centerstagetheater.org.